Destroying Usagi
by Mystic Magician885
Summary: Usagi and all her friends end up in a mental hospital, Mamoru becomes their doctor. Nothing is what it seems. AU. No powers. Rated M for self injury, language, and adult themes.
1. Meet the Girls

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or associated characters.

**AN: I am not a doctor. This is a work of fiction. I only researched the mental illnesses/brain disorders briefly. If you have a family member or friend who suffers from one of the diseases/disorders mentioned below, I understand and I'm not intentionally portraying the illness incorrectly. Once again, this is a work of fiction. Suicide is not a lightly taken subject, so please, if you are considering suicide, seek professional help. **

**On a lighter note, I was inspired to this idea watching the movie Choke. Just the mental hospital part. Everything else just came to me as I started writing. Please let me know if you guys like it or not. **

Chapter 1: Meet the Girls

Serenity opened her eyes to darkness. It seemed like it was dark every time she was awake, lately. Nor did she remember the room she was in. Looking around, she took in a side table with a lamp on it. A wooden closet sat in the corner by a window. The window had bars up and down it. The walls were white, very boring. The bed she was in was a twin size, frame was stainless steel with four posts and arches for headboard and footboard.

_Wait, bars?_ She took another look at the window.

_Where am I?_ She franticly pushed the sheets and blankets off and hopped to the floor.

"Ahhh!" a small scream escaped her lips and jumped right back onto the bed. The floor was hard and _freezing_. Looking around the moonlit room, she just discerned a pair of slippers near the foot of the bed. Serenity let out a giggle of triumph, then scrambled to the end of the bed to collect her prize.

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

She paused as she was putting the slippers on. The noise had come from the wall near the closet.

"Hello?" her voice came out weak and broken. She waited a moment.

Nothing.

She ignored the noise and put both slippers on. She hopped to the floor, turning about to look for a door. Straight across the room from the window was the door. A heavy, metal monstrosity that had its own little square window in it. A type of door one would find in, say, a mental hospital.

_Where the hell am I?_ She wondered as she slowly moved her way around the bed.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. THUD!_

Serenity jumped out of her skin, or so it felt like. The thudding wasn't coming from the wall, but the closet in the corner.

"Please.. stop. I don't like it, go away now," she tried to reason with the noise.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

It was getting angrier now. What if she didn't open it for whatever was making the noise? What if someone needed help? She just couldn't ignore that. Even more slowly than before, she moved towards the wooden closet. Her breath came in short gasps, her hands trembled, and her feet shuffled forward little bit by little bit. She placed a hand on the handle of the closet, but paused having doubts.

THUUDD!!!

She bit back a sudden sob. Taking a deep breath, she swung open the door.

A black, decayed hand shot out, reaching for her face. Screaming, Serenity jumped back, causing the terrifying hand to miss by an inch. She slipped and landed hard on her butt. Instantly she scooted back towards the corner by the door, screaming the whole way.

The hand touched the floor outside the closet as another one joined it. A bald, charcoal black head slowly peered around the opened closet door. Skin was peeling off in random places. The eye orbits had no orbs in them, just shadowed, empty graves. Even without eyes, she felt an evil gaze fall upon her. The nose, or what was left of it, was mutilated beyond recognition. The lips were missing, leaving a horrifying grimace. As the dead man pulled the rest of its decrepit body from the closet, Serenity's screams took on a hysterical tone.

The heavy metal door exploded open, flooded the room with three nurses. A light switch was thrown on.

"She's lost it! Get me some Haldol! Stat!" an elderly nurse seemed to be directing the chaos the invaded her room.

"Usagi! Usagi! Calm down!" another nurse that was trying to get a hold on her arms. She had a pretty face.

_Usagi? Oh, that's my name I gave them._

She pointed towards the closet, still uttering skull fracturing shrieks. Everyone looked to where she pointed. Looking at the open closet door, and.. nothing. Her scream just stopped abruptly, clearing confused at the missing terror.

"Usagi, are you ok? Where you having a nightmare?" the elderly woman asked her.

"I… It was right there! It was real!" she pleaded, looking at the other two nurses faces, looking for belief. All she saw was boredom and some sympathy.

"They can seem real, Usagi. But I assure you, there is nothing there. It's all in your mind," the head nurse took on a motherly tone.

"Ms. Setsuna, did you still want the Haldol?" the pretty faced nursed asked, lightly holding Usagi's arms.

Ms. Setsuna looked to Usagi, "Do you think you need it?"

Usagi's hands trembled still. Her mind not yet grasping what had happened.

"Where am I?" she asked instead of answering.

"Where you've been for the last year. Juuban Mental Institute. Now, do you think you're calm enough to go back to sleep without help?"

She nodded her head weakly, still trying to figure out everything around her. The short, homely nurse helped her up and back to the unimpressive bed.

"Good night, Usagi. No more nightmares, okay?" the homely nurse said to her, patted her head and walked out. Ms. Setsuna flicked the lights off as she closed the door.

***

She was pacing back and forth, as much as the small room would allow. Anger coursed through her for no other reason than she was here.

"Makoto, why don't you have a seat?" a graying gentleman in a white coat asked. He was sitting in one of the three bright orange plastic chairs by the window. They were the only furniture in the room.

"Why? So they can give me a shot again? Hell, no. You can keep your needles to yourself, you quack," Makoto responded, angrily.

"We are not going to give you a shot, Makoto, unless you get unruly. Just stay calm and you'll be fine. What is it about the shots that anger you?" the gentleman asked, while scribbling on a medical chart.

She gave a huff and continued to pace without answering him. If she had a tail, she'd be sure that it would be lashing back and forth at the moment.

_Knock, knock._

Freezing, she turned towards the door. Unnatural fear ran up her spine. A dark memory told hints of horrors that knocked.

"Don't answer it!" she shouted.

The graying man just looked up, expectantly.

The door opened slowly. Makoto started to freak out, taking deep heavy breaths and flexing her fists.

Un-expectantly, a man's handsome face appeared around the edge. He had black hair and dark blue eyes. As more of him came through the doorway, she saw that he also wore a doctor's coat.

"Umm, gomen. I'm looking for a patient, she's suppose to be in therapy now. A miss Tsuk,""Enough! She's not here. What's your name?" the gray man interrupted the nice looking man.

"Gomen. I'm Dr. Chiba, intern for the moment," he seemed a bit miffed at being interrupted.

"Well, Dr. Chiba, I'm Dr. Flemming. This is Makoto. Would you like to sit in?" Dr. Flemming asked.

"Sure," Dr. Chiba answered uncertainly. He closed the door and walked over to one of the plastic chairs. What had Makoto's eyes bugging out was the midget clown waddling behind him. It had everything a regular clown would; a funny, colorful hat, white painted face with eyes and mouth extended with red, and a frilly clown costume. All in miniature size.

"What's with the midget clown, Dr. Chiba," she asked.

He looked around himself, confused for a moment before sitting down. "Oh! Yeah, he goes everywhere with me," he replied.

"Dr. Chiba, I don't think that is wise…" Flemming whispered to him.

"Don't you get in trouble with him following you around?" she asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Not all at!" he answered happily.

"How's that?" she asked.

"Easy, he's not there. He doesn't exist," he stated as if it were the simplest explanation ever.

Makoto stood contemplating what he said for a moment. His words didn't make sense. Suddenly, it hit her, then the clown started to slowly fade from sight.

"How'd you do that?" she asked, amazed.

"Easy, since he was never there," he smiled at her.

Dr. Flemming was scribbling furiously on his chart during their exchange. Now that he had finished, he put down his pen and looked up at Makoto. "It's play time now. So I would like you to go with Nurse Umino and Jadeite to the play room. Umino!"

The door opened and a nerdy looking man with big glasses poked his head in.

"Yes, doctor?" Umino asked.

"Please take Makoto to the play room. Ami is next, I think," Dr. Flemming gave a knowing look to him at the last statement.

Umino opened the door more so Makoto could exit. "Let's go then, Makoto."

Other people had to open the doors for her because if she got too close to them when they were closed, they'd automatically locked.

Makoto, still in pensive thought about the clown incident, walked out of the room without causing any trouble. Before the door closed, she caught part of a sentence for Dr. Flemming to Dr. Chiba. "…is Tsukino Usagi. She has…" She didn't hear anymore as the door closed. What did her friend have to do with any of this?

***

Ami sat on the cold floor in the hospital's clothing. It looked like scrubs, but was slightly warmer. She chose blue today, but then again, she always had blue on. Nobody understood the color blue the way she did. The gentle calming effect blue can have on a person. The actual wave length of blue, how it looked like a wave of the ocean. She couldn't _see_ the wave length, but she knew it was there.

That led to thoughts of the ocean, another calming topic. The way the top could be either soft and rhythmic, or turbulent and unpredictable. Underneath, though, currents always on the move, always somewhere to go. Unlike her. She was stuck in this place.

Wooden blocks were carefully arrayed before her, having been arranged while she drifted in her thoughts. There was a single layer, six blocks wide by eight blocks long. Every other row was two blocks high. She had tried to make waves, but felt brutally defeated. The edges of the blocks were too hard, not soft enough.

_This doesn't work! The edges aren't soft. Make them soft, like the sea. Gentle waves, with a perfect rhythm. So blue…_

A door opened then shut, bringing her attention to the present. She didn't look up, though. That could be disastrous, making eye contact was bad.

"This is stupid. I have better things to do then watch her play with blocks. I'm not a damn baby sitter. Fucking stupid," a male voice complained.

Ami heard him despite the comment being whispered. It hurt, them talking about her like that, they probably thought that she couldn't hear them, or if she did, that she wouldn't care. She fought back the tears. Tears would only cause an incident of fake 'are you okays' and 'what's wrongs'. There! A tear escaped.

_Damn!_

She couldn't take the attention. Hoping that they hadn't noticed, she turn her back towards the nurses more. There had been two of them in the room before, but now there were three or more.

"Excuse me, I don't think you should talk like that in front of her," a new male voice said, stiffly.

"And you are…?" the owner of the rude comment asked.

"Dr. Chiba. Your name?" the nicer man asked.

"Um. Nurse Umino. Look, she probably didn't even hear me, nor care. She's autistic," Umino hurriedly explained.

"I assure you, Umino, that she did hear you and cares a lot. I think you should apologize to her," Dr. Chiba said, sharply.

"I doubt it," Umino was being stubborn.

"Excuse me, miss. Did you hear Nurse Umino's comment and were you hurt by it?" Dr Chiba asked her.

She stiffened, not wanting to answer. Uneasiness flowed though her. Thoughts of blue and the ocean did nothing to calm her now. She picked up a block and threw it at the wall. She froze in astonishment at what she did.

"I think you owe her an apology," Dr. Chiba said, smugly.

"Ah, geez. I'm sorry Ami. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," Umino said. To her surprise, it sounded like he meant it.

A figure walked into her view, heading to the thrown block.

"Good job, nerd. Way to make an impression," the other nurse whispered to Umino.

"Shut up! I said I was sorry, what else can I do," Umino replied.

That made the one picking up the block Dr. Chiba. After picking it up, he came and kneeled right beside her, holding out his hand with the block on it.

"I think you dropped this, Ami," Dr. Chiba told her gently.

She glanced at the block, then quickly looked away. Looking at the block too long might enticed him to interact with her more, she couldn't handle that! Her eyes were drawn back to the wooden sea. There! It was broken, a block was missing. Now the water was in even worse shape. Tears of frustration welled up and fell silently to her lap.

"Hey, it's okay. Here, I'll help you fix the waves," he said as he put the block back into its place, "There you go, as good as before."

Ami was stunned. He knew what it was! No one has ever seen what she saw. Before she knew it, her eyes met his. So dark and blue, like the ocean on a perfect day. Calm claimed her mind and her body relaxed. A moment later, she came back to herself, looking away quickly with red coloring her cheeks.

Dr. Chiba stayed with her for a while, just talking to her about stuff she thought only she noticed. Never once did he try to get her to talk back to him. He seemed to really enjoy her company. A few times during his conversation, she caught herself looking up into his eyes again.

After listening to him talk for a while, Nurse Umino said it was time for lunch. As she was led from the room, she turned back to Dr. Chiba and said very softly, "Arigato gozaimasu."

***

Rei sat at a table drawing a picture. They didn't let her have a fire pit here, so prayer was out the window. She could do it without the fire, but it just wasn't the same. So to make herself feel better today, she was drawing her temple, complete with a door open showing the fire pit.

"Hello, miss. What are you up to?" a smooth masculine voice intruded on her solitude.

Startled, her head snapped up to bite the head off of any nurse daring to interrupt her. Instead, she found herself with mouth open, staring at a gorgeous guy in a doctors coat.

_Lucky!_ She thought.

Suddenly, his eyes weren't the handsome, dark blues that held warmth. Now they took on a judging tone, accusing her of everything she was doing wrong. They told her that she was holding the pencil wrong, she slouched too much, her hair wasn't brushed enough, her smile was lopsided…

"AHHH! Stop judging me!" she screamed at him.

She was puffing a little as he was taken aback for a moment. Eyebrows raised and surprise plastered on his face. Then his features smoothed out and he took the chair across from her.

"You know, before the screaming, you had a very good first impression. Beautiful smile. First impressions are rather important, whether or not anyone admits it," he smiled at her.

"But then I screamed and now you're thinking I'm a rag," she said, rather upset. Her nerves were getting frayed over how poorly this hot guy thought of her.

"Not so. My first impression was of a beautiful, charming girl with a nice smile. The screaming came after that, lucky you," he winked at her.

Something clicked inside of her, suddenly his presence didn't make her nervous anymore. He became non-threatening. She flashed her biggest smile at him and folded her hands on the table.

"What can I do for you, doc?" she asked, sweetly.

"Well, actually I'm just here to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Chiba. An intern who will be working with Dr. Flemming. You must be… Rei?" he asked.

"The one and only! Why, are there more girls in here that look like me?" she replied then shot back a question of her own.

"Quite a few, actually," he answered with a weird look.

"Who are they?" she dug deeper, interested in the other girls she never saw.

"Oh, sorry. Can't tell you. Patient-doctor privilege. You understand, yeah?" he didn't wait for her reply. He got up, nodded to Nurse Umino in the corner and headed for the door.

"Wait! Umm… Have you seen my friend, Usagi? I haven't seen her in forever and I'm just hoping she's alright," she pleaded with her eyes.

He stopped and turned back towards her. "I think I've seen her a few times, now. She's doing okay, I believe," with that, he left the room, leaving Rei slightly confused with his answer.

***

Minako sat alone at a small round table, pushing some meatloaf around her plate. Her utensils consisted of plastic silverware, due to chopsticks being too dangerous for her. Although that didn't keep her from eying the plastic knife. Nurse Umino was too close, he always watched her like a hawk.

"What's with this… I don't even know what it is," Minako spoke up, trying to start up a conversation with the nerdy man.

"It's called meatloaf, we're expanding our menu to include favorite American dishes. Don't you feel worldly now?" he asked sarcastically.

Asshole, she thought.

Again her eyes fell upon the plastic knife. Tilting her wrist, she saw the reason she was in this place. A long, white scar ran from her wrist down her forearm a few inches. She missed that time, but the next opportunity she wouldn't. She smiled sweetly at Umino, hiding her pain from the fact that nobody cared about her. She took a bite of the meatloaf, then forced herself to swallow.

If they made dog food for humans, it would probably taste like this, she thought.

She pushed her plate away, but carefully set the plastic utensils aside, hoping Umino wouldn't notice.

A gorgeous man in a doctors coat walked into the small dining room. Minako's palms began to sweat, she couldn't be this lucky to get such a handsome doctor like him.

He spotted Nurse Umino and walked over to speak with him. Their voices were too low for her to pick up anything. Just like she thought, he wasn't here for her. All the good feelings she might have been feeling, disappeared. The whole world didn't care about her, even fate turned its back on her. Nothing good ever happened for her.

Now was her chance, Umino was distracted by the handsome doctor. She grabbed the plastic knife, but paused, fingering it. Tears fell to the table. How she wished that the doctor would just talk to her, look at her. Just notice her. She raised the knife high, needing to get enough force to break the skin with plastic.

Goodbye fucked up world, she thought as her hand started to fall.

It stopped in midair. Confused, she tried again. This time her hand didn't move in any direction. Ah, there was a large hand holding her wrist. Damn, caught again.

"I think a lot of people would miss such a beautiful girl such as you, Minako," the male voice said. It wasn't Umino, so that meant it was the doctor. A sob escaped her throat.

"You don't know, how could you? No one cares," she cried out.

He gently pried the knife from her hand, unlike one of the nurses who would just rip it from her grasp. He was behind her chair and bent over slightly to whisper into her ear.

"I care," his voice was filled with warmth and sincerity. Not the faked caring she had gotten from past doctors. A damn burst inside of her. A torrent of feelings clamored to be felt, all shoving and pushing to be first. She couldn't cry fast enough nor hard enough to alleviate the burden she felt. Violent sobs had her fall from her chair, but she didn't meet the ground as she thought she would. Strong arms caught her and pulled her close, into an embrace.

"Don't worry, Minako. I'm here for you," he cooed to her.

With the promise of a life line, she let herself fall into agony that ripped at her heart.


	2. Finding Usagi

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or associated characters.

**AN: Please read chapter one's authors note if you haven't already.**

Chapter 2:Finding Usagi

Serenity had been awake for a while now. She just didn't want to open her eyes. The other night still haunted her. Nightmares occupied her waking world and delusions plagued her dream world. Plans for escape entered her head, as she identified her troubles with this place.

A drop of liquid splashed down onto her forehead. A whimper escaped her lips, but she forced herself not to open her eyes denying the next horror any substance. Another splash on her cheek. Angrily, she wiped it away with a sleeve.

The next drop landed on her lips. Tasting blood, her eyes finally snapped open. Her mouth opened, but no noise issued out. Nothing moved for her, everything was paralyzed by the sight that hung above her.

The blood was coming from a large nail that was driven through a young girl's throat. The girl's whole body was hanging from nails. Blood was not only dripping from her throat, but also from other puncture wounds at her chest, stomach, wrists, thighs, and ankles. Serenity's eyes quickly roamed over the other wounds and ended up staring at the girl's face. The girl's lips were moving, silently.

Serenity felt her lungs burning, then noticed she was shrieking over and over again. Still, she couldn't move. Fear seemed to have rooted her to the bed. She didn't know how long she was screaming for, but it was long enough for her throat to become raspy and painful.

The heavy metal door opened slowly. The light flicked on, but still her hoarse screams continued.

A warm hand covered her eyes, finally breaking the spell that forced her paralysis and screams.

"Usagi, Usagi!" an urgent man's voice was saying her name over and over again.

"I… I can't," she whispered, her tortured throat protesting the speech. The longer her sight was blocked, the more composed she felt.

"Shhhh, it's okay Usagi. Whatever it was, it's gone now," the male voice became calm and smooth.

_He sounds… nice, like he cares,_ she thought.

Reaching up, she pulled the warm hand off her eyes. She let out a short gasp when she saw her rescuer. His hair was silky black, some falling into his eyes. Dark cobalt eyes were looking upon her softly. His lips were turned up in a tentative smile. His face was full of sharp edges, but that only added to the overall perfection of his features. A gentle pulling in her hands alerted her to the fact that she was still holding onto his hand. She let it go with a small sigh of discontentment.

"Better now?" he asked.

She found that her voice didn't work, all she could manage was a small nod. With a start, she remembered what had her terrified. Her head snapped up to look at the ceiling. Smooth white paint greeted her gaze. Looking at her sleeve to see if the evidence of blood was still there, she was disappointed.

"Why do these things happen to me?" she whined to herself.

"What things, Usagi? Is it alright if I call you Usagi?" he asked.

She gave her head a little shake, berating herself for not knowing when she spoke aloud. "If I can call you…" she made the question open ended for him to fill it in appropriately.

"Dr. Chiba," he smiled.

"Then no, you may not call me Usagi," her nose went higher into the air.

_Why do I care if he calls me Usagi? That's not even my name, just some girl I made up._

"Well, how about Dr. Mamoru then, miss Tsukino?" he compromised, with humor in his eyes.

She turned her head away, but looked shyly out of the corner of her eyes. _He's very handsome…_

"You can call me Serenity, Dr. Mamoru," she mentally kicked herself. No one knew who she really was, now she just blurts it out for a pair of gorgeous blue eyes?

Her eyes snapped up to his to gauge his reaction. His face took on a serious cast for a few moments, then turned cold and empty. The look stung, making her ache deep in her chest.

"Please let me know when I may speak to Usagi, Serenity," his voice was flat and as uncaring as his eyes. After he spoke, he turned to the door and walked away, leaving Serenity sitting on the bed, gaping. The complete lack of emotion from him caused the ache in her chest to spread. The pain in her chest started to twist and it felt like knives were being jabbed into her heart. Tears started to stream down her face accompanied by small, catching sobs. Something broke in her mind, something she thought that she got rid of; that she thought was gone forever.

"HELP ME!" Usagi cried out just as Dr. Mamoru's hand touched the door knob. Looking back over his shoulder, he only took a second before making his choice. A moment later, the girl was being gently shushed and rocked back and forth in the doctor's arms.

Serenity screamed inside her mind, beating Usagi back into the bottomless hole she had created for her. Usagi didn't fight back, but tried to find purchase in the mind and body that was once hers. Serenity had an easy time of shoving Usagi back into oblivion, but had no lasting victory as she sensed her alter-ego hovering just out of sight.

_You don't belong anymore! I made you and I can unmake you!_ Serenity screamed at the hole in her mind.

_I am you…_ a soft whisper answered.

Satisfied Usagi would stay put for now, Serenity returned back to the physical world. A few seconds later and she had her body back under control, tears and sobs abated rapidly. Once composed again, she pushed the doctor's arms away, silently missing their warmth once they left.

"Umm, I'm okay now. Crazy people do crazy things sometimes!" she giggled nervously. From the look in Dr. Mamoru's eyes, he didn't buy the excuse. Standing up, he walked briskly away.

"I'd like to talk with Usagi next time," he threw over his shoulder before he exited the room.

It took a couple seconds before she realized that he left the lights on. Mumbling under her breath, she started to scoot over to go shut them off. She never made it, as she fainted from all of the emotional strain that her mind had just experienced.

* * *

Makoto thought there should be a trench where she paced all the time. It seems like that's all she did anymore. Today was different though. Not in the fact that she still paced in exactly the same place and same rhythm. Nor in the untrusting glances she threw at Dr. Flemming. Dr. Chiba was there, that was different today. She had just met the hunk the other day. Surprisingly, he looked just like her old boyfriend…

But that wasn't the main difference today.

She spun on a heel and paced back the other direction.

"Makoto, will you sit down now and talk?" Dr. Flemming asked again.

She just shot him a glare. When they first came in, Dr. Flemming had made it clear that she wasn't Dr. Chiba's patient and he'll just be there to observe. She replied that Dr. Chiba was the only person she wanted to talk to. Those were the last words she had spoken and Dr. Chiba hadn't broken his vow of silence yet.

"As you wish. How are you feeling this morning?" Dr. Flemming asked, unperturbed.

Makoto continued to ignore him, but cast a glance at Dr. Chiba and received a grin in return. That's when she noticed the corner above his head had grown fangs and was gnashing them at her. It also started making rude gestures with white hands it had manifested.

"You want me to kick your ass?" Makoto threatened the corner. Both men looked at her in surprise, then relaxed when the saw that she wasn't addressing them. She took a menacing step toward the offensive corner before a soft voice intruded in her head.

_You shouldn't be so quick to violence, Mako-chan._

That was the difference today.

"You're right, like usual," she replied to the air, then resumed her pacing.

"Who's right, Makoto?" Dr. Flemming asked, while shooting Dr. Chiba a look to shut up. Dr. Chiba obediently shut his mouth and awaited her answer if one was forthcoming. He was disappointed as she didn't even bother to glare at Dr. Flemming this time.

Her anger was slowly building back up as the corner continued its foul antics. Just as she was about to make a bee-line over to it and physically teach it some manners, the soft voice spoke again.

_Maybe it's mad for a reason. Ask it._

Makoto let out an exaggerated sigh and calmly walked over to the corner which was presently throwing gang signs and running its tongue over its fangs.

"Usagi wanted me to ask you why you are so mad," she thought that it came out alright, even though it was more a statement than a question. The corner seemed to give a shrug and then proceeded to juggle. Frustrated, she threw up her hands and turned away. Only to be greeted by two sets of wide eyes. Dr. Flemming sat there in shock, not even able to talk. Dr. Chiba was over his shock in an instant, though.

"Makoto, you talked to Usagi?" keen interest showed on his face with maybe a hint of excitement? She must be imagining things.

_Wait, did I say Usagi's name aloud?_ She thought to herself.

_Yes, you did._ Usagi's soft voice answered, surprisingly not angry at the betrayal.

She pointedly ignored his question while profusely apologizing in her head.

_Oh shit! What do I do now? Fuck! Damn! Co.._

_Mako-chan! I don't blame you. But, please, no more cursing._

Makoto stopped in her pacing and just dropped to the floor, sitting. Both doctors raised their eyebrows at her uncharacteristic behavior. She was just trying to calm her mind, so she wouldn't upset Usagi anymore. Once calm, she thought about her friend's new found ability.

She always knew that Usagi was special, but telepathy blew the cake out of the water! All morning she had been trying to get as much information as she could about her, but Usagi easily dodged the questions, just saying that she was tired a lot and resting. Even when Makoto asked Usagi where she was, all she got was that Usagi was closer then she thought. She knew Usagi was in the same building, but with the little bit of information, she thought that her friend might be on the same floor as well.

"Do you want to talk about Usagi, Makoto?" Dr. Chiba's question interrupted her musings.

"Yeah! Where is she?" Makoto fired off the question rapidly. Dr. Chiba got a pensive look on his face while being glared at by Dr. Flemming. She lost interest as she thought the look Dr. Chiba had meant he was coming up with a lie.

"Remember, Dr. Chiba, you're only here to obser…" Dr. Flemming started

"She's closer then you think," Dr. Chiba replied to her, then turned to Dr. Flemming to argue about his patient coming up in conversation.

Makoto froze halfway up from sitting when she heard Dr. Chiba's words.

_Exactly like Usagi's…_

Her thoughts jumped onto another train of thought. Thoughts of how excited Dr. Chiba got whenever Usagi was mentioned. Maybe even a little happy?

_He likes her!_

She stood up the rest of the way, bouncing a little in joy for her friend. Usagi deserved a guy like that and a doctor to boot! Dr. Chiba always was well mannered and likeable during the two days she has known him, but she got a good vibe off him and wished Usagi the best of luck. An idea struck her mind like a hammer on a bell. Why not ask if she likes him?

_Have you met Dr. Chiba?_ She asked Usagi.

_Yes, I've met Dr. Mamoru…_ her voice came through thick and needy, portraying feelings not meant to be interpreted. Makoto instantly caught on to the seemingly established bond that her friend had with the doctor and decided to go through with her plan.

_Damn, girl. You don't hesitate to give your heart away, do you?_

She didn't wait for an answer, but went and sat down in the third orange plastic chair. The first time since she's been at the institute. Luckily, the free chair was at the end and Dr. Chiba was sitting in the middle. Dr. Chiba looked at her expectantly while Dr. Flemming looked as if he was starting a heart attack, seeing the violent girl sitting for the first time.

Looking down at her lap, she began to fiddle with her nails. "Umm, I don't know how to do this really. But I think it's important. So I'll start with me, I guess. I've liked you since the first time I saw you and…"

"Makoto, I think you should know that you're a nice girl, but I'm a doctor and you're a patient here. It's just not professional," Dr. Chiba started. She looked up into a sad smile, not one of pity, but one of regret. A smile for rejecting a girl because his heart lay somewhere else.

"Baka! I was just saying that I liked you, but you'd be better with my friend. She's too shy for her own good, so you should talk to her first. Damn! You know what? Forget everything I've said. Just ask Minako about Usagi, I know she's in here too, somewhere." Without saying another word, Makoto stood up and went back to her pacing, but not without first noticing Dr. Chiba's face going a little red.

_Bingo!_

* * *

The blocks that were usually laid out in a perfect pattern of eight by six, with every other row one block higher, were still in their container. Ami sat staring at it, never making a move for her blocks. Something else held her attention.

"You think there is something wrong with her?" Nurse Umino's voice sounded guilty.

"Yeah, she probably remembers your stupid ass from yesterday," Nurse Jadeite responded.

_Are they always like this? _Usagi asked.

_Always._

"Ami? Everything okay?" Umino asked.

She shifted a little so that they knew she was alright. Plus she didn't want them to come over to physically make sure she was okay. Umino was gentle enough, but Jadeite was rough and had grabbed her chest once.

_They don't try to talk to you much, do they?_

_I don't like to talk to people._ Ami thought in response.

_Why not? I knew you were shy, but not to this extent…_

_I've changed._

"Dude, it's been like twenty minutes now. She hasn't moved much. Do we do something?" Umino complained to Jadeite.

"Go get the doctor if you're so concerned," Jadeite responded, offhandedly.

"Why? So you can grope her without anyone seeing?" Umino said with some heat in his voice.

_Someone did notice that!_

"I didn't do any such thing! Fucking faggot! You tell anyone and I'm gonna kill you!" Jadeite squeaked out a threat.

"Fine, I'm going to find doc. But I won't be long," Umino warned

_Oh no! Please don't leave me! Oh God!_

The door opened then closed. Umino hadn't left though, she would have heard his shuffling gait.

"How are you two this morning?" Dr. Chiba asked the two nurses.

"Fine, sir." "Good, doc." Both replies tumbled over each other.

"And how's Ami today?" He seemed to included her in the question, even though he knew she wouldn't answer. She answered anyway. Her body shifted back over to its original place.

"Actually, doc, I was about to come find you. She hasn't been playing with her blocks the whole time she's been here," Umino said with concern.

There was a pause before he answered.

"Maybe she is busy with something else. We'll never know, unless we ask!" He sounded rather happy. She heard his sure, heavy footsteps until she saw him out of the corner of her eye. He knelt down beside her and placed a hand to her forehead. Touching was not her forte, so instinctively she leaned away.

"Well, I don't think you're ill. Have something on your mind, Ami?" he said as he let his hand drop.

_I rather liked his hand there._ Ami thought.

Usagi mumbled something into her head. Ami thought it was something like 'me too', but wasn't sure.

His voice dropped, pitched only loud enough for her to hear. "Are you talking with Usagi?" She stiffened. Ice seemed to flow through her veins, chilling her to the bone.

_What now?_ She asked Usagi, meekly.

_Touch his forehead?_ The voice offered, jokingly.

Two startled gasps, and an astonished doctor greeted Ami when she placed her hand on Dr. Chiba's forehead. For Ami's own reaction, she raised her bewildered eyes up to his dark blues for a moment and then stared at her offending hand. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move her hand off. All volition had left her body, keeping her frozen in place. Dr. Chiba broke the spell of surprise a few seconds later.

"I don't think I'm sick either," he said, gently taking her hand from his face.

As soon as he removed her hand, she gained control over her body back. She spun away from him and started rocking back and forth, rhythmically. She thought of calm thoughts. Like gentle waves on a sunny day. Like the color of the sky. Like _his_ eyes. Red colored her cheeks at the last thought.

"It's ok, Ami. You didn't hurt me, in fact, that was a very kind gesture you made. Thank you," Dr. Chiba told her from where she left him. "From the fact that you haven't been playing at all, I'm going to conclude that you've been busy in your head. Perhaps conversing with someone. It's not a big deal in or out of itself, but I just wanted to let you know that you can talk with me anytime, Ami."

At first, Ami felt anger at his implicating that she was crazy. Just because she was at a mental institute doesn't automatically mean she was insane, just different. A soft 'oh' muttered from the two nurses changed her mind. Dr. Chiba had just given her an excuse to be left alone. They wouldn't bother her if she just sat quietly for long periods of time, thinking that she was talking with her 'friend'. That last bit, about talking to him any time, seemed strange to her. Did he know that she was chatting with Usagi-chan?

_I think he wants to talk to you,_ Ami informed her friend.

_I know, he told me,_ she responded.

* * *

Yesterday's picture was scrapped, it hadn't been that good anyway. Her talent lay in other areas of the arts. Although she was struggling with what she had in front of her at the moment. Only one line of the lyrics were written and she had to get writer's block

"Damn it!" Rei yelled. Umino chuckled, over in his corner. "Can it, Umino! I'm not in the mood."

Once her free time had started, Rei had been trying to write a song. Even with strong inspiration, nothing was coming to mind. She consulted with her once lost friend.

_I'd rather do this on my own, but I'm stumped and only after one line!_ Rei thought.

_I'm not sure. I'd have to think for a minute,_ Usagi responded.

Rei read over the single line again, for Usagi's benefit. 'A life wasted because I didn't have you there, subtle pain has always been my companion.' She wanted it to be a love song, but it was turning out to be a dirge.

_Uck! Sounds like a depressed pot head…_

Rei giggled at Usagi's reaction. Then sobered up quickly, remembering she was the author.

_Damn, that's not helpful,_ Rei replied.

Ever since she had met Dr. Chiba, she felt a little strangely. She wasn't naïve enough to think it love. Perhaps it might be infatuation, but more likely not even that. Just a crush on a good looking guy.

The door opened and the source of her inspiration stepped into the room. He was definitely more handsome in person. Her memory had fuzzed some of the most important details of his features. His eyes were a darker shade of blue, his black locks fell into his eyes, his shoulders….

"…gi, but I still can't share anything with you," he had been speaking to her while she had been admiring him.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she tried to ask sweetly, but worry about what he said pitched her voice higher. Had he said something mean about her? Insulted her? Criticized her? Panic started to take over her body, her hands started to shake on the table, her breathing became erratic.

"I said: How are you since yesterday? I've recently met Usagi, but I still can't share anything with you," he repeated. Rei calmed instantly. She didn't need to know anything, she had been talking with Usagi for a while now.

"That's okay, I understand. I'm good, although I think I just had a mini panic attack there," she said.

He nodded, taking a seat. "What are you working on today?"

"Nothing!" she squeaked, swiping the paper off the table. Red infused her neck and cheeks, heat spreading across her face. He gave her a smile and sat back.

"Embarrassed, Rei? You shouldn't be. I'm sure whatever you were working on is splendid," he smile only grew as he spoke.

She sat there fidgeting for a moment, deciding whether to share or not.

_Shall I show him?_ Rei asked.

_Why not? Maybe he can help you past your writer's block,_ Usagi told her.

She tentatively pulled the paper from her lap and placed it back onto the table. Sliding it across to him, she turned her head away to try to dampen any humiliation that could spring forth from too much trust. Seconds past as he read the single line. Then silence. She peeked out of the corner of her eye to see what he was doing. Placing the paper down, he had a contemplative look upon his face.

"I think it's a good start to a love poem," he finally announced.

Rei's mood sank. "It's supposed to be a song…"

"They're usually the same, aren't they? Good songs are good poems and vice versa. Am I mistaken?" he asked with genuine confusion. Her eyes lit up.

"Yeah! You're right! Arigato, Dr. Chiba," she was literally bouncing in her chair from his encouraging advice. She pulled the paper back to her side and started working on her song again. Dr Chiba stood, bestowed one more smile that she didn't see and left soundlessly, as not to disturb the artist.

* * *

Minako froze at the door, leaning heavily against the frame. She swore that she just heard Usagi speak from somewhere. Hurriedly swinging her head left to right, she saw no one other than Dr. Chiba, who had been escorting her to the dining room.

_I'm in your head silly,_ Usagi giggled.

"Strange," Minako mumbled.

"Is anything wrong? What's strange?" Dr. Chiba asked. Not in the nosy way doctors who want to know everything asks, more in the way a concerned friend asks.

"Oh, it's nothing. I thought I heard someone call my name," she covered up, not really wanting to lie to her new friend. That's what he was. After the other day, he could be nothing less.

_How, what, why…?_ Minako thought.

_I don't know. Maybe telepathy? I'd thought you'd be happier,_ Usagi whined a little.

_But you'll make other people think I've gone nuts just speaking to me out of nowhere!_ Minako snapped at her friend.

_Isn't this the perfect place to go crazy, though?_ Usagi giggled at her own joke.

_Not in front of Dr. Chiba!_ Minako threw up her mental hands, giving up the argument with the carefree girl.

_It's alright, he knows anyway,_ Usagi pouted.

_Knows what? That I'm hearing voice and going crazy?_

_Just wait and see…_

Minako shook her head and pushed Usagi's ranting out of her mind for the minute. She found herself by the table already, probably walking over to it during her 'conversation'.

"Sure you're okay? Looks like you were arguing with yourself," he smiled at her from his seat across from hers. She took her seat quickly so she didn't feel like she was hovering over him.

"You have no idea," she replied, exasperated.

_Drama queen, _Usagi responded to the implied insult.

Good aromas from the table caught her attention. Her gaze swung down and noticed a bowl placed before her already. Chicken teriyaki over Lo Mein had her mouth drooling slightly, even if rice made more sense. Taking up the chopsticks to dig in, she paused. Looking up to Dr. Chiba, there was no expression. Then to Umino, who stood at attention in his usual station. Just his normal, attentive gaze. She waved the chopsticks at him and gave a questioning eyebrow. Umino just shrugged and continued his watch.

"I thought I wasn't suppose to have these," she directed at Dr. Chiba.

"Are you going to use them for anything else but to eat with?" he asked.

She thought of all the fun things she could do with a pair of chopsticks: a mini sword fight, two stick pick up, twirl it through her fingers, if she had a milk carton and paper, she could build a sail boat. But nothing dangerous came to mind, and that's what he meant. For the first time in a long while, she didn't want to harm herself.

"No," she answered with honesty and a sigh of happiness.

"Then you're allowed to have them," he smiled at her again. Without any further hesitation, she dug into her food. Mutters and sighs of contentment were issued forth between bites as she devoured the tasty meal. All too soon, she was pulling the last noodle from the bottom of the bowl and slurping it down. Placing the chopsticks across the bowl, she put her hands together and bowed her head.

"Arigato! That was wonderful!" she beamed. She noticed that Dr. Chiba didn't have any and was worried that she was rude. "Gomen nasai, I should have offered you some!"

"Not a problem, Minako. That food was for you. I'll be eating later," he said. She could tell that he was very polite, very nice all the time, but in a serious way. This reminded her of a friend, who was always nice, but too carefree. Those two could balance each other out, she thought.

"Umino, could you take the bowl and give us twenty minutes? I'd like to have a session with Minako," he looked over his shoulder to ask Umino.

"Of course, doc. I'll be in the break room, which is on the other side of the hall, one door down," Umino replied, walking up to grab the bowl and depart. Dr. Chiba waited until the door closed again before turning back to Minako.

"I shouldn't really be doing this, but I had a strange conversation with Makoto this morning. She asked me to ask you about Usagi," he told her. If her eyes could've gotten any wider, she was sure that her brain would be able to fit through the eye socket.

"What do you mean? Ask me what about her?" she asked, perplexed and a little worried at the same time.

"Well, at first it sounded like Makoto was telling me that she liked me, but I stopped her to let her know that it wasn't professional for me to get involved with a patient here. She called me an idiot and said I was better for her friend, Usagi. Then she said to forget everything she said and ask you about Usagi. Rather confusing, if you ask me," he sighed.

Minako saw what Makoto saw now. Dr. Chiba's eyes livened up and a corner of his lip curled up whenever he said Usagi's name.

_Well, there goes my chance with him,_ she thought, sadly.

_What do you mean? He's so nice to you and you're pretty too. Go get 'em, Tiger!_ Usagi rooted her on, but Minako detected a slight sadness underneath.

_Baka! He's for you. He couldn't look at me like that even if I tried, which I wouldn't._

Minako giggled. "You don't listen very well, doctor." She let out another giggle. His brows went down in annoyance. She was angering him, not good. "Makoto told you to forget everything she told you, and yet, here you are, telling me everything she said," she finished with a grin.

Seconds later, humor entered his eyes and a grin split his face. "Very true. But I had to provide surrounding information. Anyways, do you know what she meant?"

"That you should talk to her. You'll see for yourself," she replied, easily.

"I've tried talking to her, it's not so easy," he said.

"Tell you what, if you aren't able to talk with her at the next opportunity, then I'll help you. Okay?" Minako said with gusto. She had a purpose in life again. Her demons were still there, but now they would bother her while she had a goal in life.

**AN: I feel really bad, cause I promised Anenihan this chapter two days ago! Better late than never? Anyways, If you feel like this story is going fast, well, … it is. It was a quick idea, and the story will be pretty short. I don't think past ten chapters. Also, it's my first try at a convoluted piece, so if things don't make sense, then I'm doing a good job. It will all come together in the end. Stick around for a major plot twist (don't know when, but it's gonna happen!)**


	3. Strange Places

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or associated characters.

**AN: Please read chapter one's authors note if you haven't already. I seemed to have gotten the flak that I was expecting from the start. Unfortunately, it was all covered in the first chapters author's note. Except one thing. Autism is not a disease, but a disorder. Apologies for that and chap. 1's AN has been adjusted. Another item was that Autism and cutting oneself isn't necessarily enough to admit someone to a mental hospital. Sorry, part of the plot. Can't reveal it here. And for anything else, something I read somewhere, so I don't take credit for it: "If you don't enjoy it, don't read it." Once again, this is fiction, so relax your underwear and read to enjoy. **

Chapter 3:Strange Places

She was sitting up in bed with the lights on already, waiting patiently. When she had first woken up, she had made a mad dash to the light switch and then back to her bed. Her feet were still freezing from that expedition. She was fidgeting from being on edge for too long. It had only been about ten minutes, but a princess shouldn't be exposed to terror for so long. Except there had been no nightmares lurking around as of yet. Hence her expectance.

_This is taking way too long. Where is he? Maybe if I scream…_

Serenity took a few minutes to think about screaming, but the tale of The Boy Who Cried Wolf kept her from making a hurried decision.

_If I scream this time and nothing is wrong, what will happen next time when I'll really need help?_

She made her decision, ready to forfeit any further assistance for the sake of hurrying this meeting.

_Do I really want to see him that bad?_

_Yes!_ Usagi cried.

_NO! Stay away!_ Serenity bulldozed her alter-ego away.

Filling her lungs for the scream, she let it out in a fit of coughing when a knock came at the door.

"Come in!"

"Gomen, I'm late. I had a meeting to attend before coming here. May I speak to Usagi now?" he said as he was closing the door.

"What? Why?" her face flushed in anger.

He calmly walked towards the bed as she fixed him with a disdainful glare. He offered a smile as he sat on the edge.

"That would be between me and her," he drawled.

Serenity felt a familiar pressure inside her head. Seeking the source of intrusion from her mind, she found herself confronting her alter-ego, Usagi. Immediately, she threw up mental barriers to keep Usagi from fully surfacing. Usagi seemed to brush them away as if the barriers were cobwebs. Remembering the other day, Serenity tried to run over her creation with pure willpower. It was like splashing water at Usagi, not affecting her in the least. Serenity started to fight in earnest, using everything she could to make the once useful personality disappear forever. Unfortunate for Serenity, she was losing, badly.

_How did you get so strong, so quickly?_ Serenity wailed as she fell into the background.

The light burned her eyes, so she shut them closed. Breathing made her lungs burn. But to stop was to die. Her heart thumped violently in her chest, filling her ears with a whooshing roar. She was surprised no one else seemed to hear it. Everything ached. Everything had a sensation. Everything demanded attention. It had been a long time since she had felt anything.

"Serenity?" a cautious, male voice asked.

"No…" her speech sounded foreign, unpracticed.

"Usagi then?" this time, he sounded hopeful. She recognized the man. Her eyes snapped open and she beheld the man who had been trying to reach her for the last two days. She had seen him before, but not with her own eyes. His deep blue eyes penetrated hers effortlessly. She met his gaze evenly, not afraid of what he might find. Usagi had enough of hiding. She had enough of cowering. She was tired of being afraid. Mostly, she didn't want to be alone anymore.

Serenity screamed in the background of her mind. With a quick thought, Serenity's voice died out.

"I am the real me," she whispered to herself.

"I never thought otherwise," he smiled. She jumped a little when he responded. That wasn't said for him, but more for affirming herself.

His smile was infectious, though. She found herself grinning back at him. After so many doctors and people who cared about her that tried to bring her back, this man had come and pulled her out of her self-made prison effortlessly. There was something about him…

He caught her as she fell forward, all her strength had fled in a moment.

"You should rest, Usagi. I don't think you've had much sleep recently. We can talk tomorrow," his eyes held a mysterious twinkle as he laid her back onto her pillow. All she could manage was a barely noticeable nod before mental fatigue dragged her into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Something was off. Umino had escorted her to the dining room and not to Dr. Flemming. He stood over in the corner, watching her. On the table stood a bowl of ramen with pork, green onion, and an egg for toppings. The smell was enticing, but Makoto swore that she had just come from breakfast.

The rumbling sound from her stomach gave another story. Shrugging to herself, Makoto picked up the chopsticks and began to eat. She could feel Umino's stare as she ate.

"Is it really necessary for you to watch me eat? Don't you have something better to do?" She sneered at the nurse.

He looked a little startled, but gave his head a little shake. "It's part of the normal routine. What's with you today?"

She made a rude gesture at him and then went back to eating her ramen.

A little bump on the table started to grow, distracting her from her meal. It started shrinking, then growing again. Then the bump elongated. She gasped as another bump appeared almost right beside the first. Two more joined soon after. She realized what it was as a palm and a thumb joined the four fingers. It continued to rise out of the table, stretching the plastic that gave it birth. Several more hands grew from the table top, all of them stopping around mid-forearm.

The first one reached for the bowl. Makoto smacked the hand with her chopsticks, which startled it for a moment. She whisked the bowl away from the table as the rest of them reached for her food.

"What's wrong now?" Umino asked in an exasperated tone.

"Your face. Mind your own business," she replied, tartly. Scooting a few feet away from the table, she continued eating while keeping an eye on the multiple hands. Umino rolled his eyes at her and slouched against the wall.

Halfway through her meal, Dr. Chiba ran into the room, looking around wildly. Spotting Makoto, his face calmed instantly. He took a few steps towards her while taking a few deep breaths.

"Min…" he started to say.

"Doc!" Umino urgently pushed himself off the wall. He rapidly strode over to Dr. Chiba and whispered into his ear.

Dr. Chiba slammed the heel of his right hand into his forehead. "I should've known!" Umino nodded to him, then walked back to the wall to resume his show of bad posture. Dr. Chiba started to pace in front of Makoto as she finished her ramen, muttering to himself every now and then.

"Have you spoken to Usagi today?" he asked as soon as she swallowed the last bite.

"I don't get to see the other _inmates_," she sneered, instantly regretting it afterwards. "Gomen nasai. No, I haven't seen her."

"No, I meant _talked_ to her today…" he said softly, so that nurse Umino didn't hear.

_He knows!_ Makoto's mind shouted, _who told him? _She ran down a list of likely suspects, but only one seemed likely. Quickly standing up, she placed the bowl on the table and grabbed Dr. Chiba's lapels.

"Who told you? How much did they say?" she gave his lab coat a little shake to emphasize her questions. Unfortunately, she was the one pushed back and forth due to the doctor's size and strength.

Umino immediately moved towards the perceived violence. But Dr. Chiba made a stopping gesture in his general direction and proceeded to pull off Makoto's hands from their grip on his coat.

"You told me, the last time we met," he said with an amused smile.

Her mouth worked soundlessly. She had expected him to say, _"Usagi told me."_ Instead, she got confusion. Running their last encounter over and over again in her head, she couldn't remember when she told him. He must have seen the lost look in her face because he enlightened her.

"When you were talking to the wall. You said that Usagi asked you to ask it a question," he had lost his smile and had a serious cast to his face.

She stood there, with a blank expression looking up at him until he started to show worry. Not able to contain her mirth, she exploded with laughter.

"I wasn't talking to the wall, Dr. Dummy," she continued to laugh until he put a finger across her lips. His eyes showed some anger at being mocked.

"I didn't spend the last seven years of my life in college to be called _Dr. Dummy,_" his voice was a bit stiff.

"I thought it was obvious that I was talking to the corner. Didn't you see it?" she was slightly taken aback, not realizing she could push him too far.

"Everyone sees things differently," he answered, cryptically.

"Usagi saw it," she retorted, then gasped. She had done it again! Betrayed her friend twice.

"I'm sure she did. Usagi is a wonderful girl with lots of understanding," he answered nonchalantly, glossing over Makoto's admission.

Makoto started to notice things that had escaped her. Dr. Chiba wasn't being his careful self, he seemed rushed. Unorganized. Her eyes widened.

"Nothing happened to Usagi, right? She's fine and dandy, right?" she was starting to panic. Usagi hadn't spoke to her all day and that had her worried.

"She's just fine. No need to be worried," he replied, offhandly.

"What's wrong, then? You're acting weird," she noted how he spoke the truth, but gave away his worry.

"Just the fact that _you're_ acting weird today. I'm worried about you," he met her eyes, square on. Concern laced his expression.

Makoto took a moment to consider what she may have done out of the ordinary today. Nothing came to mind, she had no idea what he was talking about.

"You're being silly, Dr. Chiba. Nothing is wrong with me. Hey, look at the table. Do you see the hands coming out of it? See, I'm normal today," suddenly, it became the most important thing in her life to convince him that she was okay. Like her identity rested on the sole fact that he believed her.

"It's ok, Makoto-chan, calm down. No, I don't see anything on the table. But that's normal," he consoled her.

_What a gentleman,_ she thought. _Perfect guy for Usagi._

"That's nice," she completely dismissed the whole freak-out. "So, did you talk to Minako about Usagi? Did you get to see her? _Did you kiss her?_"

Dr. Chiba looked shell-shocked. The barrage of questions took out any mental footing he thought he had with the girls.

"Kiss her? What type of doctor do you think I am? And in answer to your questions, yes, yes, and no," he was stunned at first, but then started to act like a gossip.

"Why wouldn't you kiss her? That's what people in love, do," she stated, as if it was the simplest thing in the world to understand.

"Well… right. Anyhow, it's getting late. Would you like me to escort you to your room?" he dodged, then supplemented with a nice gesture.

"Of course! Who wouldn't want a hunk tucking them in?" she got a shit eating grin on her face when he nearly choked.

* * *

Ami sat in an unfamiliar chair at an unfamiliar table. On the table stood three neat piles of clay, one blue, one yellow, and one red. Each was about the size of her fist. She sat staring at the colors wondering what type of clay it was. Whether it was Baker's clay, made in the hospital's kitchen, or Play-Doh, she couldn't tell the difference.

_What do you think?_ She prodded Usagi.

Just like when she woke up that morning, there was no response. That didn't mean anything, in and out of itself, but the lack of an answer left her somewhat lonely. Which was quite weird, for she really hadn't been lonely until this point. Not that she would be good company, anyway. But that didn't make missing Usagi any less painful.

_It's just like you to come swoop in out of nowhere and fix people, isn't it? _she thought sullenly to her friend.

Ami had looked up to Umino three times already in the past twenty minutes. Unheard of, since she had been admitted. And it wasn't hard to do. She had looked away more out of habit, than anything else.

"Are you okay?" Umino broke the silence.

She gave her head a quick nod before fixing her gaze back on the clay again. A little awkward, but she had responded! It brought back memories of how she used to be. Shy, but she could at least interact with people.

The door opening quickly broke into her thoughts. Dr. Chiba hurriedly strode in. Ami looked up, directly into his eyes for about two seconds before habit made her duck her head. Habit and embarrassment. Dr. Chiba was an extremely good looking man, she realized while blushing.

"I didn't realize you were so shy," he said with a smile. She didn't _see_ him smile, but she heard it in his voice.

_At least he seems to like me,_ she thought to herself.

"She really hasn't been doing anything. Just staring at the clay she had asked for yesterday after you left," Umino offered.

"Not feeling like our self today? What are you up to?" he asked as if she would answer.

He seemed to trust Umino at his word. She agreed wholeheartedly. It was Umino who didn't want to leave her alone with Jadeite because Jadeite had grabbed her chest. If she ever spoke again, she would definitely thank Umino.

She lifted a hand to her chest, wanting to answer, but nothing came forth. Habits were hard to break. Nor did she look up again, he was way too handsome.

"You're acting a little odd toda…" he stopped mid-sentence. "I guess that's because you have a different craft item today. Right, Ami?" he stressed her name for some reason. Umino made a noise, but didn't say anything.

She wanted to answer, but nothing, again. Instead, she took her hand away from her chest and poked at the pile of red clay, then retracted her hand back to her chest. She smiled on the inside at her small victory. She didn't have any more willpower for anything else, though.

"I see. Would you like help with the clay? I'm not much of an artist, but I can try," he said, as his large hands enveloped the red clay. She let her mind wander as her hand thoughtlessly doodled on the table. He spoke to her as he worked, like he expected an answer but knew none was forthcoming. Like the other couple of days.

It wasn't very long before he had made… something. A weird, blue snake, flattened yellow something, and the red pile of clay had a sharper point on top. He was right, he sucked as an artist.

"It's supposed to be waves, a beach, and a volcano. Supposed to be. Right. I've embarrassed myself enough, I think I'll take my leave now," he sounded dejected, and she felt bad for laughing on the inside. Umino didn't hold back, he went into gales of laughter, which in turn had Ami smiling on the outside. Dr. Chiba mumbled something about 'ungrateful', but good naturedly. He was such a good man. Ami wondered what Usagi thought of him.

* * *

Rei was pissed. She had plans today and Umino had brought her to this delusional doctor.

"What do you mean, you're my doctor? The only doctor I've met since I've been here is Dr. Chiba!" she yelled, pointing at the dark haired man sitting in a white lab coat.

"Calm down. I think Dr. Chiba may have had a negative influence on you. If you don't calm down, I'll have to ask him to leave," the doctor said. He was getting old, graying hair adorned his head, and he was chunky.

_Fat, old bastard,_ she thought. And nothing.

Usagi didn't remark. Rei got a frown upon her face. Well, the look of frustrated anger transformed into a contemplative frown, to those looking at her.

_Usagi?_ she thought. _You are there, right?_

The soft touch that Rei had associated with Usagi's thoughts entering her mind was absent. Panic started to flow through her veins, feeling more like ice water than anything else.

_What if she doesn't like me anymore? What if I said something stupid that makes her not want to be my friend? Am I too lazy, ugly, fat, or crazy?_ Her mind raced over a million things on why Usagi wasn't talking to her this morning.

"…out and playing your games. Sit down and we will get started," the fat, old bastard hadn't quit talking while she had spaced out. Refocusing on him did wonders for her panic attack, though.

"What the hell do you think gives you the right to tell me what to do? You're not my Grandpa. I'm ….I'm…. I don't remember how old I am, but I'm not a damn child, so don't treat me like one!" her breath came a little ragged but Rei felt much better after letting some of her anxiety out.

The fat, old bastard sat there, surprised, with his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Dr. Chiba lit up like a match.

"Gomen, miss. Who was your grandfather?" he asked.

"Oh, gomen nasai, Dr. Chiba. I've never told you about Grandpa Hino before. He works at… in…," she couldn't actually remember where, and felt ashamed.

"That's okay, Rei. I just forgot his name, briefly," he broke in, but looked satisfied with the answer.

Rei instantly calmed down, having pleased Dr. Chiba made all the stress dissipate. Her feelings for him were intense, but she felt it was one sided. She definitely liked him, unfortunately, she was just a patient to him. Rei felt trapped and alone. Usually, she have her girlfriends to chat with about these type of things. She missed her chance talking about it with Usagi, yesterday, having forgotten about the whole problem.

"… patient, you can go if you'd like," Dr. Chiba had said something to the fat, old bastard.

_I really need to stop spacing out,_ Rei scolded herself.

"I see. I do have things to do, please let me know if my patient shows up?" with a nod from Dr. Chiba, fat, old bastard stood up and left the room. She watched him go, and then looked back at Dr. Chiba. He smiled at her pleasantly and motioned for her to take a seat. She took the one closest to him, grateful to get off her feet.

"Is Usagi okay?" she asked immediately upon sitting.

"Do you think she is okay?" he raised an eyebrow.

"How would I know? That's why I'm asking you!" Rei's short temper was getting the better of her.

"Well, just seeing as you two seemed to be talking yesterday…" he lead on.

"How do you know! Opps! I mean, it doesn't matter anymore. She hasn't said anything to me this morning," surprise turned into frustration on her face.

"I don't think you have to worry, Rei. I believe she is just sleeping," he replied with a wink.

_Good,_ she let out a sigh, releasing her worry.

"Well, what now? It's obvious that the clay I asked for, yesterday, isn't here. So, are you married, Dr. Chiba?" she asked with a shy smile.

He went off in a fit of coughing, his face beet red as he struggled for control. Once he was done, he took a few steadying breaths before answering.

"I'm not sure this is appropriate, Rei. Let's get back to Usagi. What did you two talk about yesterday?" his avoidance of her question, then bringing up Usagi again, let Rei come up with two conclusions. One: he wasn't interested in her that way, and two: he _was_ interested in Usagi that way. Of course it could be her anxiety which led her to those answers.

"It's okay, Dr. Chiba. You wouldn't want a panicky woman like me, anyway. I hope Usagi returns your feelings," tears on the outside seemed to give her words as a lie, while on the inside, she truly wished her friend happiness.

_It's both! I can be selfish with my own feelings and still wish good things for my friends._

"I'm… not sure what you mean…," he said, while running a hand through his hair.

"Yes you do," she replied. She got up from her chair and leaned over to lightly kiss the doctor on his cheek.

* * *

Minako wasn't exactly hungry, but the sudden change in schedule had her confused. Especially this room, one she had never been in till today.

"Is this new room because I'm making progress and I'm going home soon?" she asked Umino.

He had been wide-eyed ever since she came into the room, looking like he desperately wanted to escape. "I'm not sure, I wasn't told of anything new," he said, answering her question and giving as little information as possible.

She briefly thought about throwing one of the wooden blocks at him to see if his eyes would pop out. She wouldn't do it, of course, but the idea brought a smile to her lips. Ever since Dr. Chiba started to see her, she had been able to have thoughts other than those about hurting herself. She reveled in the good thoughts, like a soothing balm finally placed onto a horrible wound.

A small part of her told her to be nicer to Umino, like she owed him one or something. Maybe it was because of all the time they had shared. He had never been nasty to her, even though she was sure that he got tired of watching her every second.

"Would you like to play a game, Umino-san?" she asked.

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to do that, … ummm…." He hesitated.

"Really, Umino? After all the time you sat watching me, you're going to forget my name? That hurts. I might as well try to swallow one of these blocks and end it right now," she said, taking a block and shaking it at him. She tried the suicide joke, but pulled it off badly. Maybe it was too soon? The block wouldn't even come close to her mouth, she was done with that part of her life. Even though she knew that Dr. Chiba was in love with Usagi and not her, Minako had started to love life again. She had someone that cared about her.

"Minako?" Umino seemed really surprised. He started hopping from one foot to the other, looking even more nervous, if that was possible. She was sure Umino cared about her, somewhat.

_Why hadn't that mattered? Is it because he never took an active part in my life? _

She didn't have long to ponder, as Dr. Chiba strode into the room. Umino got a very relieved look upon his face.

"Dr. Chiba, _Minako_ seems to be bored. I'm glad you came by, she's asking about going home," Umino said in a rush. Dr. Chiba raised his eyebrows for a split second. Minako raised hers at Umino stressing her name.

"Well, We'll just have to see about that," Dr. Chiba gave a general response. She couldn't make heads or tails out of it.

"I was just saying, because now I'm in a completely new room and with… wooden blocks? I don't know, it just seems like I've moved up finally," she almost giggled at her words.

_Moved up to wooden blocks, huh?_

"Actually, I think it was a mistake of timing," Dr. Chiba replied, smiling at her obvious disgruntled attitude toward the blocks.

"I'm not sure what that means…" she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nothing serious, I hope. Umino, can you excuse us? I think Minako and I are going to have a session," Dr. Chiba inclined his head to the nurse.

"Of course, Dr. C. You know where to find me when you're done," Umino's last few words came from the hallway, making his escape as fast as he could.

"That's interesting," Dr. Chiba said. "What did you do to him?" he asked, teasingly.

"That's for me to know and you to find out," she gave him her most winning smile.

"Right, of course. How about Usagi, how is she today?" he got right to the point, as she saw it.

"I haven't spoken to her today. She's not answering, that's why I was chatting with nurse Umino. It's weird, though, Usagi wouldn't flaunt a talent like that and then not use it again. Maybe she's just tired," she said.

"Mmmm, maybe. So what's this about wanting to go home? Do you remember home?" he asked.

She was about to answer his first question before he asked his second. It was such a simple question, but it froze her instantly. She couldn't focus on the memory she knew was right there, like a telescope that wouldn't give a clear picture of a certain star.

"I….I… don't know… I'm sure I have one. Wait! What if I don't have a home? What if that's the reason I didn't want to live anymore? I can't remember," she huffed, trying not to cry. It was all so over whelming for a girl.

"Hey, don't work yourself up, ok? You'll always have a home… Don't worry about it. I just wanted to see if you remembered anything," he said, calmingly.

She thought he meant that she'll always have a home, whether she was living with her parents, or living on her own. But that didn't seem right, not with the slight pause. She didn't know and gave up trying to guess.

Then something horrible happened. While trying to think of her parents again, images of blood splattered against the wall and hopelessly mangled bodies flashed through her mind.

"Shhhhh, it's okay, Minako. You're safe here, you'll be fine. I got you." And he did, she was cradled in his arms as hers were wrapped around her head while screaming at the top of her lungs. She forced herself to stop screaming, but little yelps and whimpers kept escaping.

"What happened? Tell me about it," he asked, softly.

She did. But only the few flashes of memory she had, there was nothing else there. But no amount of tears could wash the blood from her mind.

**AN: After a long wait, here is another installment of delicious mystery. Please enjoy, because I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully the next chapter won't be so long in coming.**


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